The Wings of An Angel: A Crisis Core Novel
by DarkLink519
Summary: This is a detailed novelization of the brilliant game: Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. Rated M in anticipation of future chapters. Read and Review, PLEASE!


Chapter I: Evaluation

"Wutai troops have hijacked Shinra Express MK93 II," the intercom barked. "The train is currently headed to Midgar Sector eight. A SOLDIER operative will be inserted to neutralize the situation."

The night was cold, this he could tell even from inside the armored walls of the Shinra helicopter. Down below, in the streets of Midgar, no unsuspecting citizens were to be seen wandering about the metropolis. There were no sounds but the quiet hiss of the eight Mako reactors that stood on the outskirts of the city. These reactors worked by collecting Mako, a green fluidal form of the energy that could be drawn from the planet, and converting it to electricity that would be used to power Midgar.

There were exactly eight reactors surrounding the city, one for each of the eight sectors. These sectors were formed by a large metal plate in the shape of a saucer, held at least a hundred yards above the ground by monstrous support structures, scythed through the soft flesh of the earth. The two-tiered metropolis was governed by the Shinra Electric Power Company, the corporation that had originally devised the concept of using reactors to efficiently draw energy from within the depths of the planet. Armed with a massive military force and an elite group of warriors called SOLDIER along with a mass of modern technology, Shinra was on the verge of establishing total domination over the surrounding continent.

There were two SOLDIER operatives on the helicopter. He was one of them, a SOLDIER second class. The other was Angeal, an accomplished fighter who had already reached the highest rank of first class. There were third class warriors as well, however these were all rookies and were generally looked down upon by the seconds and firsts. The uniform for each class remained the same except for the color of the shirt -- black for firsts, purple for seconds, and blue for thirds. The basic uniform, apart from the cotton shirt and similar pants, consisted of black leather gloves, a light pair of boots and two shoulder guards that were to be worn overtop of the shirt. Around the waist would be worn a belt with the Shinra Electric Power Company symbol engraved on it. Most of the SOLDIER members wore a shielded helmet, however some chose not to at all. He preferred not to wear one, and instead kept his black hair exposed. It was spiked in the back, with two bangs hanging along the side of his face.

"You ready, Zack?" came the voice of the first class SOLDIER, Angeal. He was to be supervising this mission, and Zack didn't mind at all. Angeal was his mentor, the one he looked up to the most out of all the other first class SOLDIER members. Because of their friendship and the fact that he was training under Angeal, the two got to work together quite often.

Zack flicked his hair out of his face and answered enthusiastically, "I'm ready for anything you can throw at me!"

Angeal nodded. "Don't ever take anything too lightly -- then it becomes easy to lose focus in the task ahead."

He rolled his eyes and grinned. "Thanks for the tip."

"Zack," Angeal's gaze suddenly turned serious, "you need to be able to stay focussed if you want to become first."

"Sir," Zack snapped into a salute.

Angeal nodded approvingly. "Get ready, the mission is about to begin."

The sixteen-year-old nodded as he pulled open the door of the helicopter. He stood halfway out of the flying machine, ready to jump into action. The wind whipped his bangs into his eyes and he struggled to see.

Angeal stood behind him. "That train down below has been overrun with Wutai troops. Eliminate them and regain control of the train."

Zack nodded impatiently, his Mako-infused eyes gleaming with excitement.

The radio transmission rang out from the front of the copter. "We are to proceeded as scheduled. Commence mission in 3…"

Zack watched as the train below them sped past at top speed. "…2…"

Angeal spoke again. "Remember: focus. Whatever your eyes lead you to believe, there are no Shinra troops on this train. Understood?"

Zack gave him a look and then chuckled. "You really don't give me enough credit, you know that?"

"Understood?"

"…1…Mark. Begin mission."

Zack turned back and grinned as he gave Angeal a quick remark with his index and middle finger to his head. "Oh, yeah!"

"Get serious!" Angeal called after him.

Down below, there was a loud thud as Zack landed on the roof of the train. He stood up, and took a deep breath before beginning a fast sprint, jumping to the next car at the last second and landing gracefully on both feet. Upon making the jump he continued his dash without hesitation, eager to move onward.

Zack lost his balance after making the jump to the second car as enemy gunfire rained down on him from above. "Damn…" he cursed as a bullet narrowly missed his left hand. Aggravated by the sudden assault, he glanced up at the enemy copter and shouted "Hello to you to!" in its direction.

Just as he was about to get up he heard gunshots from up ahead. Bracing himself, he pulled his three-foot sword from the magnetic sheath on his back. The weapon wasn't extremely long like Angeal's five-foot long broadsword, but it was a SOLDIER staple and sharp to the touch. The two troops ahead cringed in anticipation of the weapon, and he took this as an opportunity to advance. Within seconds he had reached the guards, and with some vigor he leapt up and shoved his sword through the first one's chest on the way down. The second one made a sloppy attempt at countering Zack's arrival by waving his nightstick in the direction of the killer, but he easily ducked under the attack.

Zack pulled the sword from the dead guard's chest and was about to swing it in the second troop's direction when he hesitated. The man he had been about to kill was wearing the familiar uniform of bright blue worn by Shinra troops. Why was he fighting against his allies? But the confusion quickly disappeared as he remembered what Angeal had told him on the helicopter:

_"Whatever your eyes lead you to believe, there are no Shinra troops on this train. Understood?"_

Without second thought Zack swiftly slashed the sharp weapon at the guard's chest. The man didn't even have time to scream before the sword ripped through his jugular like rice paper.

Bullets flew at him from ahead, and Zack grimaced as he realized his mistake. Hesitation killing the second guard had allowed time for reinforcements to arrive at the scene of battle, and just like that he had let them gain the upper hand.

He lost his balance in his desperate attempt to avoid the bullets and stumbled backwards towards the edge of the train. Seizing the advantage, one of the guards dashed over to Zack and gave a hard kick to his stomach. He felt the wind being knocked out of him as he was thrown over the side of the train from the force of the assault, but was able to grab hold of a nearby railing, impeding his dangerous decent to the tracks below.

Instincts gathered from all his years as a SOLDIER surged through his veins and without hesitation his sword hand snaked up towards the troop and he skewered the man in the chest. Not wasting time, he kicked the guard from his sword and down underneath the train. Zack tried not to watch as the train sped over the already dead man's skull and shattered it to dust, splattering brain matter all over the wheels of the car.

Prying his eyes away from the image, he forced his senses back into focus and yelled savagely as he leaped from the side of the train and down upon the two remaining guards, twisting into a tight corkscrew on the way down. Unable to defend against the surprise attack, they screamed in agony as the sword ripped through the bodies of both troops, the force of the attack knocking them off the roof of the train.

His cell phone rang. Realizing it was Angeal calling, Zack picked up.

"How did I do? Not bad, eh?"

"You put on quite the show, and the battles were all top notch with the exception of that fumble — you lost your focus, didn't you?"

"Okay, okay. So tell me what's going on, why are we fighting Shinra troops?" The train pulled to a stop as Zack made his way over to the edge and dropped gracefully onto the concrete below.

"They're Wutai troops in disguise. Now, for your next task: head to the open area above."

"Towards sector eight," Zack nodded as he turned his head towards the exit to the platform.

"Yes, but first you'll have to clear a path."

"Clear a path…?"

"You'll see what I mean."

"So I can cut loose, right?"

Angeal chuckled. "Use some discretion."

Angeal's way of saying: "if you can get away with it."

Unknown to Zack, an entire platoon of men filled the exit he had just turned away from. He hung up the phone and put it in his back pocket.

Just as he hung up the phone, he heard gunfire from behind. Realizing that there wasn't enough time to draw his sword, Zack knew exactly what he had to do. As quick as lightning, he spun around and held his hands out towards the troops. Just as he was about to be hit, and invisible barrier formed between him and his opponents. The bullets harmlessly bounced off the shield and dropped to the floor of the platform.

Zack had used a piece of materia, a marble-sized orb created from crystallized Mako, either naturally or artificially. Being in posession of these orbs enabled the user to bring forth a physical manifestation of the Mako in the form of various spells. Using a piece of materia usually cost vital energy, however, so SOLDIER members had been trained only to use it in a tight situation, such as the one he had just faced.

The troops stood in shock at the power of Zack's _barrier_ materia, and he seized this opportunity as a chance to throw his opponents of guard. Before they could raise their own swords in defense he was upon them; he struck out with his sword and drove it through one of their chests. Ripping the blade out from the side, he brought it up to the head of a second troop and mercilessly decapitated it from his body.

He had already hindered the force to a mere three in one quick assault — he could tell this was going to be easy. Reacting faster than Zack had expected, one of the troops pulled a shotgun from behind his back and took aim at his head. He quickly somersaulted out of the way of this attack and back flipped to a standing position. He sliced out once more with his sword, but this time they were ready for his attack. Zack recoiled as his sword was blocked and struck once more in the same spot, this time with defiance. The blade ripped through the man's ribcage and pierced his heart, causing instant death.

Just as Zack was about to spin around to attack the last two guards, he heard one of the troops loading the shotgun. This time, instead of simply rushing the troops and slicing at the open areas of their armor, he back flipped over them. Stunned at this unexpected maneuver, they tried in vain to turn around and prepare a counter, but had hardly enough time as Zack hit the ground with both feet and slashed through the flesh of both guards at once, decapitating the bodies.

As he made his way towards the platform's exit, his phone rang again. Rolling his eyes he reached into his back pocket and flipped open the gadget. "Zack speaking," he said into the mouthpiece.

"Not too bad," came the voice of Angeal, sounding partially impressed.

"Piece of cake," Zack laughed. "I'll make first in no time!"

Angeal chuckled again.

"What are you laughing about?" Zack asked suspiciously.

"Head up the stairs to the left."

"Wait!"

But Angeal had already hung up. He shoved the phone back into his pocket and headed towards the stairs. Just as he was about to turn the corner a tremendous roar came from above — as soon as he was at the base of the stairs he looked up and swore at what greeted him.

_"Fucking hell, Angeal!"_

Zack was standing face to face with one of the most ferocious, blood-thirsty creatures known to myth: the behemoth, a gigantic monstrosity that was both deadly and a blood-curdling sight. It's canine-like body, larger than a tank, stood on four powerful legs that looked as if they could plow through a cement wall. It also bore claws, almost as long as Zack's three-foot sword, that could probably rip an automobile to shreds. It's grey skin perfectly contrasted it's fiery red mane and soulless yellow eyes, and its drooling mouth was filled with two rows of frighteningly sharp teeth.

As if it wasn't deadly enough, a hideous excrescence on the end of its tale was barbed and spiked in every which possible way one could think.

_This_ was what Angeal had decided to throw at him?

He jumped out of the way as the beast charged down the stairs towards him, his heart pounding with fear. He barely had time to draw his sword when the behemoth whipped its tale in Zack's direction, and he was forced to throw himself onto the ground to avoid being ripped to shreds by the barbed growth. He rolled away as the behemoth spun around and attempted to lacerate him with its claws, missing and leaving a devastating gash in the ground. Seizing the opportunity to do some damage he lunged out with his sword and swore impatiently as the attack ripped through the air, missing its target by a hair's breath. Just before he was about to recoil he realized that the tail was swinging his way again. Quickly he concluded that it was not worth keeping up with such dangerous sequential maneuvers and back-flipped over the tail just as it was about to slam into his chest, leaping back onto the staircase evasively.

"Come and get it!" he said, glaring down at the beast confidently. The initial fear when he had first encountered the behemoth had disappeared completely, and was now being replaced with excitement and determination as settled into the heat of the battle.

The behemoth stared up at Zack and growled contentiously in his direction. Deciding it would be easier to engage the beast in open combat, he darted up the stairs and towards the central area of sector eight.

* * *

From the Shinra helicopter far above Angeal watched the battle, taking note of Zack's improvements.

A tall, distinct man wearing a grey suit and blond hair that grew to his shoulders stood up and walked over to the open window from which Angeal was assessing Zack's fight. "Director Lazard," said Angeal he heard the man approaching.

"A behemoth?" the director asked, skeptical of Zack's abilities. "Are you sure he can handle this, Angeal?"

"Without a doubt," he answered, not turning away from the window.

Lazard nodded. "Even if he does make it through this fight, taking down a beast like that should be no problem for a SOLDIER operative."

"Indeed."

* * *

Zack sprinted towards the open streets ahead. Noticing that it was catching up fast, he vaulted over the behemoth. It skidded to a stop behind him and he grinned provokingly as he heard its claws dig into the metallic upper plate. Raising his sword, he dashed forward towards the exposed animal as it roared and jerked its claws in an attempt to free them from the complex groundwork. There was a ear-splitting screech as the claws finally tore free, leaving twenty mighty gashes in the street.

The behemoth was no longer immobile but it was still open to assault. Guessing that it wouldn't have time to defend itself, he decided to go for the attack anyway. He reached the beast, his sword at the ready, and slashed upwards in an attempt to cleave the behemoth through the middle.

Zack was expecting to feel the weapon cutting through the weight of the behemoth, but instead felt something hard slam into his ribs and he was thrown backwards as the tail of the beast collided with his chest. He was lucky enough to hit the ground on both feet, but he lost balance as the impact sailed through his body and fell backwards onto the road.

Although he had failed to eliminate the behemoth with that one assault, he had left a large wound in its chest. Zack was laying on the ground, unscathed but throbbing at the chest.

Something reminded him that Angeal was watching this fight.

Adrenaline and a newfound determination running through his veins, Zack kicked up into a standing position. Excitement burned in his eyes. He had lost his sword when he was hit, so he was going to have to try and do some damage without it until it could be recovered. Flicking his numbing hands reluctantly, he shook off any remaining impact left over from the shock.

"It's showtime!"

Grinning in anticipation of the clash, he began to run towards the behemoth. The weakened beast pulled itself up from the ground and turned to face the oncoming force, growling maliciously. Zack picked up speed as he drew closer. A plan of attack was already taking shape in his head.

Just as he reached the behemoth, it lunged out at him, just as he had expected. Instead of meeting it head-on, he summer-salted over the beast and struck out from behind. Concentrating all his physical energy into his arms and legs, he hammered at the behemoth's side over and over again, forcing it back with each blow, completely aware that he was really only aggravating it. Just as it was about to turn around and answer to the assault, Zack back-flipped over it and slammed his open palm into the behemoth's chest, only inches away from the wound he had made with his sword.

The behemoth finally roared and spun around to face Zack. Eyes bloodthirsty and wide with rage, it lashed out at him with newborn fury. Zack had already located his sword, laying a few yards away from the sidewalk at the other end of the street, and was now waiting for an opportunity to retrieve it. He watched its gaping mouth careening towards him for a few seconds before he again vaulted over the beast. This time, instead of just rushing it, he concentrated every ounce of force in his body into his fists. He yelled aggressively as he lunged forward and leapt through the air towards the behemoth. His knuckles, built up like iron, slammed against their target, blowing it back towards a nearby car. There was a horrible clenching sound of metal being crushed in on itself as it hit, leaving a huge crater in the vehicle's left side.

As soon as he finished the attack he reached for a piece of materia. An immense ball of fire left the palm of Zack's hand, and within seconds it was upon the behemoth. It howled in pain as the flaming matter reached its target, igniting the beast's fur.

Zack had already put his fire materia back into his pocket and was now sprinting towards the weapon he would use to finish off the behemoth. The flaming beast began to charge towards him, the savagery and indignation in its bloodshot eyes immense. As it reached him it began to open up a raging hell on Zack, swiping its claws in his direction with the sure intention of fatality. He easily rolled away, his foot splashing in the behemoth's blood. With vigor that could only be mustered in the spur of the moment he proceeded to stab the blade into its chest again and again, an unending stream of blood seeping from the animal's crippled body.

With the bloody and entirely misshapen corpse of the beast laying before him, he smiled presumptuously. He had crossed an angered behemoth and emerged the victor; that was an accomplishment not many could live up to. Cleaning as much of the blood off his sword and uniform as he could, he reached into his back pocket for his cell-phone.

He felt the air move above his shoulder, and then the thin white blade of the sword Masamune was standing inches from his neck.

"Showing your back to the enemy..." came a mocking voice from behind — one that he knew. "Overconfidence will destroy you."

Zack turned to face the wielder of the extremely thin sword that was at least as long as he was tall. It was the SOLDIER hero, Sephiroth, a towering, robust figure that stood six and a half feet in height. His extremely long silver-white hair that extended down to his waist from behind whipped in the wind as the smell of the behemoth's still burning flesh sifted through the air. His dark and sinister-looking eyes stared Zack down — he did not look angry, but challenging, nevertheless. His SOLDIER first class uniform was almost identical to Zack's except for the black leather cloak he wore overtop of it, long sleeved and cuffed at the wrists, and the enhanced white shoulderguards.

"Sephiroth... what is this?"

He didn't answer, he simply kept Masamune held at Zack's chest. His expression was mocking and arrogant, as if he was challenging Zack to try and escape the pin. Was this supposed to be some kind of test posed by Angeal? Well, if that was the case, a behemoth was one thing, but Sephiroth's inhuman strength was another.

Sephiroth suddenly chuckled and made a stab at Zack's chest. He was only barely able to lift his own sword in defense.

_Damn it, Angeal, this is going to far...!_

* * *

"What's going on?" asked Lazard curiously. "what is Sephiroth doing interrupting Zack's training?"

Angeal shook his head. "That is not Sephiroth… there's no way it could be. It's definitely a simulation.'

They stared down from the window of the helicopter as Zack tried once again to disengage himself from the battle, but looked to be unable to find an opportunity. "Angeal, did you program this?"

He shook his head again, watching intently. "No. I have no idea where it came from... must be a glitch in the system."

Lazard's eyes widened as the famous _Masamune_ came closer and closer to Zack's chest with each sequential attack.

* * *

"Damn it! You're not the only hero!" Zack bared his teeth at the SOLDIER first class as the swords clashed once more. Sephiroth simply grinned at the simplicity of the battle.

Zack recoiled and attempted to turn the offensive on his opponent, but Sephiroth struck first. His three-foot sword, miniscule in comparison to _Masamune_, was torn from his hands and he was forced backwards from the vigor of the attack.

Angeal landed between him and Sephiroth, his buster sword in hand. Zack watched intently as the two stared each other down for a few short moments.

Only when he was sure that Sephiroth wouldn't try to strike again did Angeal reach into his pocket and flip open his cell-phone.

"Abort mission," said Angeal into the mouthpiece.

As soon as he put the phone back into his pocket the simulation around them, along with Sephiroth and the dead behemoth, began to dematerialize into data. Within moments the whole scene had completely disappeared, and they were left within the circular glass room that was used to train SOLDIER operatives, a tool used to sharpen and improve their abilities.

Angeal picked Zack's sword up from the floor and held it out too him.

"Training's over."

"What?" said Zack, bewildered. "Why?"

Angeal didn't answer.

He stood up and threw the simulation helmet onto the floor indignantly. "Come on, I was just getting warmed up!"

Angeal gave the sword to Zack and began walking towards the exit to the training room. Zack stared at his mentor, annoyed at his unresponsiveness. "I need to be able to make first, Angeal. You saw how I did against the Sephiroth simulation! I need to get better!"

Angeal stopped and spoke with his back turned to the SOLDIER second class.

"Zack?"

"Huh?"

"Embrace your dreams."

"What is that supposed to—"

"If you want to make first, or even become a hero, you need to have dreams... and honour." With that, he continued towards the exit, leaving the puzzled Zack to figure out whatever lesson Angeal had taught him.


End file.
